1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a small, lightweight and portable boat ramp made to fold when not in use for transportation and storage and to deploy easily for permitting a small boat to land on a gently sloping beach area. It has characteristics which have not been matched in the prior art, and which render the device highly effective in its objective of permitting a smooth boat landing. As such, the device is useful in the fields of fishing or recreational boating.
A comprehensive listing of all the possible fields to which this invention may be applied is limited only by the imagination, and is therefore not provided herein. Some of the more obvious applications are mentioned herein in the interest of providing a full and complete disclosure of the unique properties of this previously unknown general purpose article of manufacture. It is to be understood from the outset that the scope of this invention is not limited to these fields, or to the specific examples of potential uses presented hereinafter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 2,658,354, issued to Donovan A. Lee on Nov. 10, 1953, shows a portable boat launching and beaching apparatus, comprising several rollers, mounted on two vertically installed shafts, for receiving a small boat on a ground surface. The two vertical shafts, which support the rollers, are designed to be driven into the ground, thereby securing the device to the ground. The instant invention offers, in contrast, a collapsible device which is made to rest on the ground surface, and because of its larger planar dimensions, as opposed to the small shaft cross-section of the already patented device, provides better adherence to the ground surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,996, issued to Jerry W. Edson on May 25, 1971, presents a portable boat ramp, and offers a device which depends on two grooves for receiving the hull of a small boat, and on two lateral cushions for supporting the hull. In contrast to the patented design, the instant invention offers a larger supporting area that will be more effective in preventing damages to the hull.
A portable boat ramp is offered by U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,282, issued to Charles L. Dorsey on Apr. 7, 1981. The patented device has a converging set of walls for raising the boat above water when beaching the boat, thereby requiring a strong amount of upward thrust to lift the boat above water. By contrast, the instant invention provides a smooth upward lift of the boat, because it matches the gentle rise of the beach area where the user docks his boat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,846, issued to James W. Price on May 22, 1984, offers a transverse saddle type boat cradle, having vertically erected hull support panels designed to fit the contour of a particularly shaped hull. By contrast, the instant invention proposes an easily deployable boat ramp, one that has no vertical member. Further, the patented device is designed for docking the boat, rather than for ramping it on a beach surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,150, issued to James W. Price on Aug. 28, 1984, offers another adjustable cradle for supporting and stabilizing boats. It has a base frame structure with several adjustable vertical support assemblies, strategically located to match the contour of the boat hull. The instant invention is quite simple and differs from the patented device, because it has no vertical elements.
John E. Antonides was issued U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,250, on Sep. 29, 1987, for a portable boat ramp for small watercraft. It offers a gently sloping hull receiving cradle, to be anchored to the ground by a set of four spikes. In contrast to our invention, it is not meant to be collapsed into a small package for transportation or for storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,791, issued to Gary P. Williams on Nov. 27, 1990, shows a pair of plates pivotally attached together to form a V-shaped boat support configuration. The patented device is a dry dock, rather than a ramp for beaching the boat, and the plates open inside out to form a V-shaped support. By contrast, the instant invention has two metal frame halves which open from the outside to the inside, where the two metal frame halves are prevented from opening beyond the V-angle required to support the beaching boat by having the two metal frame halves butt against each other when the desired opening angle is reached. By contrast to the instant invention, the already patented device, as a dock, is bulky and heavy. In the instant invention, a means, not provided by the patented device, is provided for hand-carrying the boat ramp to a desired location, and for deploying it in order to receive an incoming boat ready to land on the beach.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,428, issued to Mack F. Dickerson on Nov. 26, 1991, shows a portable boat dock which consists of a modified H-shaped frame designed to support a beaching boat. The frame has two angled legs spaced apart to penetrate a short depth into the ground. It has a third member attached to the H-frame to form the long arm of a tee, designed for pulling the dock, and for anchoring the dock so that it ends up having the right landing configuration on the ground. By its very nature this dock is bulky and difficult to carry. By contrast, the instant invention proposes a boat ramp that is light, portable and collapsible, and which can quickly be deployed for receiving a boat hull.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, are therefore seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.